If you have had the opportunity to name a baby you'll know it's not an easy task. You are naming a person after all and will set the tone for their entire life, not just the baby years (which a lot of parents sadly forget). One name may be adorable for an Instagram hashtag, but how will it hold up in a board room? In this article I hope to outline a little about baby name trends and why they are just a part of life. Some perks of social media and things we can ignore from our social platforms when naming your baby and some ideas on thinking outside the box on finding a name.

Trends... if you can't beat em join em.

https://www.jennifermoher.com/ — Jennifer Moher

I am a self-proclaimed 'name nerd' and yes there are lots of us out there. Naming my child something that wasn't popular was crucial to me. I scoured every list, watched for every baby announcement, and did not tell a soul once my husband and I had settled on a chosen name. I had never met a person with this name my entire existence and despite there being one friend with a sister in another city who named her daughter the same as my future daughter... I was in the clear. Her middle name was another name I thought was completely off the radar. My husband had a work project and the name was after a spring and mountain in rural Nevada. Nature-inspired, personal significance... it was perfect. It was also another name I have never encountered in real life. What a banger I thought! Since the birth of our one and only, there have been about nine others with her name born in her year I have come across and it's slowly creeping up the top 100 list. Don't even get me started on her middle name, apparently every influencer on social media was inspired by the same drilling project as well (obviously not actually). But hey! Name trends, they just happen.

Typically all parents from the same generation, have the same influences and admirations and grow up loving and detesting the same names... as rare as we may think we all are. Duana Taha of Toronto writes brilliantly about names in her book The Name Therapist, a must-read for anyone interested in name trends. She interviews parents of 'Jennifers' from the years that Jennifer was the number one name. Each parent interviewed had a unique explanation of what Jennifer meant to them, how it came to them, and how they had never heard of another Jennifer. Jennifer was the single most popular name for newborn U.S. girls every year from 1970 to 1984. Trends just happen. All I can say is with my next child unless someone I know directly uses the name I have chosen, I am not going to worry if it's too popular or trendy.

Naming your baby in the generation of Insta-moms...

There are a lot of positives of having access to public birth announcements and being able to easily learn when any family or friends have had babies and instantly learn their chosen names. There will not ever be the type of booms of popular names we saw in the past as a result. We as a culture thrive on our uniqueness and naming our child is no different. It's an unwritten code that if a person in your social network uses a name you had shortlisted *unless you are extremely in love with the name or it has a magnitude of significance*, someone you know using it will likely deter you from using it as well. And that is great. That is why there won't be five Emersons in the Graduating class of 2035... hopefully. That being said it's important to not put too much weight onto popularity when it comes to the top 100. It is way more important to ask yourself if you are worried about a name being popular, do I personally know someone with this name or do I just follow Mormon homeschooling accounts in Utah on Instagram where this name seems super popular?

Another great resource is friends with older kids: asking how many ‘Harper’s’ they have in their class or even better-asking teachers.

Finding inspiration in the oddest of places...

It is no secret that a current playgroup could be mistaken as a bridge hall name list these days. My father in law was stunned when I told him that Beatrice, Eleanor, and Josephine were all in my daughter's library group. Another popular trend that blew his mind was just how 'neutral' gender-neutral names are these days. Evan and Cameron were girls in her swim lesson in this case. My favorite category is nature names... but how do you go beyond Forrest and Willow?

Here are some suggestions for getting inspired on your name hunt…

Travel books - have a favorite place you have visited? Maybe somewhere special to your family or partner? Travel books can list everything from local neighborhoods to beaches and native sayings.

Nature books- not just flowers, but birds, insects, oceanography... the options are limitless when you're looking for a nature name. Farrow for example, isn't that a beautiful name? A litter of pigs is the meaning. Who knew?!

Street names- any given neighborhood has a plethora of streets all with great names and many that are not on top 100 lists. In no specific area or town you can use Google maps or go for a walk/drive. Start paying attention to street signs, you'll be surprised what you see.

Obituaries - looking up obituaries or death notices is a great way to get a lot of not so popular names in an easy format. Specifically, if you have a region that interests you. The names can also inspire a lot of 'surname as first name' ideas like Foster or Ellis which are classic in the name game. If you feel like getting out of the house (I know this sounds morbid as well), but taking a walk around a graveyard can bring out the same kind of forgotten gems in names. Fun fact: my name was found in the obituaries, it was a family member of the deceased specifically. You never know where you'll be inspired.

Baby-names will continue to ebb and flow with popular culture and different generational influences. It is one of the most outstanding roles we have as parents, shaping a whole life by giving our baby a name they might win a noble peace prize with one day. Keep it simple and let inspiration strike wherever. Don't overthink things like 'sib sets' (sibling name sets) or get creative with spelling (younique namez) - leave that for the Insta moms.

- Kale (not named after the leafy green lettuce despite its booming popularity in the last ten years)